[jameson]

Here's a question:

What would you tell a client with an e-business if you found out they were using an AOL email account for all of their customer transactions and communication?

[marcamos]

Simply that, while it works, it can be viewed as unprofessional in the eyes of a majority of their customers.

[jameson]

Marc Amos, on Aug 29 2008, 12:49 PM, said:

Simply that, while it works, it can be viewed as unprofessional in the eyes of a majority of their customers.

I actually tried that and they got really insulted. I don't think I'm gonna be able to find any way to get this client off AOL.

It's funny.. when they sent me an email saying they were insulted that I "called them unprofessional", in the signature of the email was AOL spam telling me I should get a Mapquest toolbar... lol

[marcamos]

jameson, on Aug 29 2008, 05:43 PM, said:

I actually tried that and they got really insulted. I don't think I'm gonna be able to find any way to get this client off AOL.

May I ask why you bother, then? If they're that clueless, just do their bidding, take their money, and leave them off of your portfolio.

[CaptiveMonkey]

I think the best analogy I could offer in this situation is, if you presented your client with a business card with "get your free cards here: web address" written on the back, would your client be impressed, or would they think twice about using your services had they not of done in the first instance?

The same analogy applies when you browse to any website which is based around a freeurl, as far as I am concerned all credibility is lost.

However dependant on the business i.e. home worker / plumber / tradesmen some customers, namely those with no experience of the internet can be reassured that they are dealing with somebody with such an address: @aol.com. Foolish in my opinion but it's different strokes for different folks.

I say cut your losses and hope one day they heed your advice. You don't need to say anymore it is not your responsibility to ensure their business is professional.

HTH
Tim

This post has been edited by CaptiveMonkey: 29 August 2008 - 09:07 PM

[jameson]

You guys are right.. I have to just let it go. I guess I just want to see their business succeed. They're in a market that is wide open, could be set up to make money with very little maintenance, and has minimal competition. Ah well.. you can't win 'em all I guess.

[haku]

I'm in agreement that it's their choice, but not a good one. Unfortunately, the damage has already probably been done, so it would probably be best just to drop it. But for future reference in a different situation, you may want to be more clear that 'some users can get an impression of unprofessionalism from AOL, and point out the footer as an example. But best to drop it this time.

edit: its also usually good in these situations to point out the advantages of the new thing, rather than pointing out the problems with the old thing. When pointing out the advantages, make sure you work in the points that they are likely to bring up in a rebuttal, so that you don't have to expressly say it.

For example, instead of talking about AOL, you could say something like:

'On your new site, may I recommend using an email address from your own domain? They are great because they are inline with your business, which gives your customers a feeling of security in knowing that they are definitely talking to someone from that site, and not a potential imposter, and they also won't get any advertising footers added onto the footer from communications from you'.

In this way, you haven't even mentioned AOL, but you have made the point that its not good. If they then ask you any questions about AOL, you can say 'well, I didn't really want to say anything, since you are already using it and you are obviously doing well as a business, but I don't think AOL is great because ....'

[marcamos]

jameson, on Aug 29 2008, 11:04 PM, said:

...I guess I just want to see their business succeed...

That's their duty, not yours. Put that energy into growing your business.

[Locksmithcharlottenc]

I don't think I'm gonna be able to find any way to get this client off AOL.